It's Only Fair
by Skopje-Tiran
Summary: He wasn't supposed to fall in love with Boq.


_Disclaimer: I do not own Wicked. Please don't rub it in._

_I decided to try something a bit...different. Hope you enjoy it._

Fiyero stands there at the school gates, letting the servants carry out his luggage, surreptitiously adjusting his collar to let an alluring glimpse of neck show. This is Shiz, after all...what handsome young man would come here merely to study? Casting his eye around, he sees the Upland girl. It _must_ be the Upland girl, because she has almost as many suitcases as he does, and he is a prince. She is a rather pretty thing, he supposes, all flouncing blonde curls and fair skin. A split second later, though, he spies the boy, and his heart turns a somersault in his chest.

Though the boy is a Munchkin, this does not detract from his rather exquisite proportions. His golden-brown locks fall just around his shoulders, framing a handsome face with wide hazel eyes. A crisp blue jacket completes the picture of the boy, and Fiyero finds himself suddenly and inexplicably short of breath. He must know who this mysterious god is.

Suddenly he notices that the boy's gaze is not directed towards the horizon. No, those hazel orbs are focused quite clearly on Miss Upland, who looks back at the Munchkin with an expression of mixed amusement and condescension. Fiyero hates her immediately.

A few hours pass and the students are herded into Shiz's main hall. A pompous, elderly woman named Morrible reads the room assignments aloud in a slippery voice that sounds like a cold eel. The names of the girls are read first, and Fiyero sees the Upland girl tapping her foot impatiently and chatting with some other girls that look just like her, only less pretty. And standing nearby-is his eyesight working correctly?-standing nearby is a tall, thin, poorly dressed girl with skin the color of ripe lettuce.

Shaking off his momentary shock, he is pleased to hear that the hated Miss Upland will be rooming with the green girl. Such a snooty girl deserves someone whose very presence will ruin her reputation.

Fiyero's reverie is only broken when Madame Morrible reads his roommate's name aloud. He walks up to collect his key, and sees the gorgeous Munchkin boy heading towards him. Boq? This vision's name is Boq? It sounds like a noise that a chicken would make, hardly fit for one of such incredible looks.

"Hello there," Says Fiyero, in his deepest and most sensual tone. He throws in a dashing smile for good measure. "You must be Master Boq."

"Yes, indeed." Boq smiles in return, and oh, Oz, his voice is like melted butter, sunlight pouring from his perfect lips. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Fiyero. I hope that we can be friends this year."

Fiyero's knees nearly go weak at this statement. He hides his reaction, smiles pleasantly, and says that it sounds wonderful.

Weeks pass, and the prince still can hardly take his eyes off of the boy. He is a kind and gentle soul, and possesses some impressive wits when the situation calls for it. Fiyero berates himself, telling himself that he doesn't even like the Munchkin, telling himself that Boq has a crush on Galinda Upland, telling himself that he is a prince and princes can't even _have_ boyfriends, telling himself all of the reasons he can think of to not fall in love.

More days pass, and Fiyero falls in love with Boq.

He doesn't tell him, of course. That would be foolish. Instead, he keeps it to himself and asks Galinda to come to a dance with him. When he can hold back his disgust at the sight of her, her forces himself to admit that she is pretty, and that by all standards of society, they are perfect for each other. When he tells her this, she smiles. It's strange, but he thinks that he sees something in that smile that appears as false as his own.

They go to a dance together, and Fiyero is almost too busy to notice the green girl come in. Too busy staring at that damned Nessarose's pale bony hand clutched in Boq's, too busy searing his eyeballs with the loathsome sight. Eventually, though, he sees Galinda staring at her green roommate with shock and pity, for the poor girl, Elphaba, is wearing a ridiculous pointy black hat that Galinda gave her earlier. Fiyero feels bad for the green bean, but he cannot seem to drag his eyes away. He cannot erase from his mind the words that Boq has just said to Nessarose.

"You are so beautiful."

Months pass, and now Galinda-no, Glinda-and Elphaba are friends. Only...not quite. Once, when Fiyero goes out to dinner with Glinda and the green girl, he sees the glances that his girlfriend shoots towards her roommate, and the ones that Elphaba shoots back when she thinks Glinda isn't looking. They are intimate glances, the kind that he reserves for Boq when they are alone in the dorm room. So, Fiyero is not the only one with a secret. He tries to ignore the glances, resentment welling up inside him. Why should they have love when he gets nothing? He tightens his arm around Glinda, the brief sting in Elphaba's eyes giving him a sort of bitter satisfaction.

Months more pass, and Glinda and Elphaba go to the Emerald City. Only Glinda returns. 'Returns' might be too strong a word, though, because all of the life has gone out of the blond girl. She rarely speaks, and when she does speak, it is usually only to say that she made a mistake. They don't technically break up...but after a while they simply drift apart. Fiyero goes back to pining over Boq, Glinda throws herself into her studies with all of her might.

And then, one night in the dorm room, something happens. Boq and Fiyero are both lounging on the floor, Fiyero doodling in a notebook, Boq reading some history text. The Munchkin boy glances up at Fiyero suddenly, and his hazel eyes look soft and bright in the dim room. Fiyero feels his throat tighten with unspoken emotions, and moves closer to Boq.

"Fiyero..." Boq whispers, moving closer, his voice dark and confused and inviting. "Fiyero, I..."

Then the two boys are kissing, and neither one knows who started the kiss. All Fiyero knows is that the boy, no, the _man_ he loves is in his arms, and there are hot lips on his, and it feels better than anything he has ever felt before. Then Boq tears himself away with a whimper, shaking his golden head.

"I...I can't Fiyero, I just..."

Fiyero is too dazed to respond, all he can do is watch in shock and disappointment as the Munchkin stumbles out of the room.

Months more pass, and Fiyero graduates from Shiz. He has hardly spoken to Boq since the kiss, and he has the distinct impression that the Munchkin is avoiding him. For the second time, he finds himself tangled in a relationship with Glinda. It is clear to both of them, though neither mentions it, that the engagement is one of pure convenience, and Fiyero is so lonely and miserable that even the company of Glinda is preferable to none. He plays the good fiancée, shows up when she is appointed as 'Glinda the Good' officially, listens to all of her falsely impassioned speeches, pretends not to hear her when the name she screams into his shoulder at night belongs to the Wicked Witch of the West.

And then, a few months later, Fiyero can no longer bear to live like this. All he can think is that a change of scenery might help, and so he saves the life of the fierce and mysterious Elphaba. Then, abandoning his fiancée, he runs off with the green woman. Neither of them quite knows what to do in the situation. They are alone in a castle, hunted and wretched, both pretending that this is what they have always wanted. They make loveless love and though she does not make a sound, Fiyero knows that she is thinking of Glinda, just as he thinks of Boq. So they do have something in common, even if it is that both love people that they shouldn't.

When soldiers come to capture the Witch and he cannot fight them off, Elphaba saves his life with a spell. True, his body has turned to burlap and straw, but what use is flesh and blood anyway when there is nobody worth sharing it with? Fiyero supposes that he does care for Elphaba, in a sense. He makes up his mind to help her. Using the rumors he has heard about the Witch's aversion to water and the news of the girl Dorothy to his advantage, he concocts a plan. Elphaba agrees only reluctantly.

So, Fiyero goes to a cornfield close to Munchkinland, hoists himself onto a pole, and waits for the hapless girl to come along. With a vacuous smile, he introduces himself as the Scarecrow, convinces her that he is a simple creature who only wants a brain. She allows him to come along, and he begins to craftily guide her towards Elphaba's home. They meet a Cowardly Lion and a Tin Woodsman who looks awfully, terribly, achingly familiar, but Fiyero can't seem to place him. All he can feel when he looks at him is a strange throbbing where his heart may have been once.

Just as they reach the Emerald City, the Wizard sends them out again, as Fiyero knew he would. They are sent to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. This terrifies Dorothy and the Lion, but for some reason, the Tin Woodsman looks more eager than afraid. Fiyero ignores the excitement on the metal man's face as they make their way to the castle.

As planned, Elphaba's flying monkeys snatch Dorothy. Just as predictably, the Tin Woodsman and the Lion panic, vowing vengeance and working themselves into a near frenzy of rage. Fiyero feigns a similar wrath and follows them. The three companions conquer several of the castle guards and steal their uniforms. Fiyero knows that the other guards would never be fooled by their disguises if he hadn't told them earlier to let Dorothy's friends sneak in. Once inside the castle the scarecrow slips away, unnoticed by the Tin Woodsman and the Lion, who both have frighteningly murderous expressions on their faces. Taking a hidden passage that Elphaba showed him earlier, he arrives in a secret room beneath the Western Tower. He does not expect what happens next.

He hears the hoarse voice of Elphaba above him...followed by the light, melancholy one of _Glinda_. Gritting his teeth, he prays to whatever gods are listening that Elphaba will not let her feelings ruin his plan.

"Glinda, they're coming to kill me...you have to leave. If they find you here, they'll kill you too."

Fiyero has to agree.

"I can't go, Elphie, I can't. I left you once, please don't make me do it again." Pleads Glinda.

"Glinda, I love you, I can't see you hurt too." Elphaba's voice catches.

Fiyero feels a pang through his nonexistent heart as Glinda begins crying.

"No, Elphie, no..."

"It'll be all right, my sweet. Just...just hide in here." He hears Elphaba opening a door, probably the closet or the wardrobe. "Do it for me."

There are shuffling noises, the creak of a door closing, and a moment later a crashing sound, as Dorothy and the others arrive. The Tin Woodsman and the Lion yell incoherently for several seconds, and then there is a whoosh of fire, and a splash, and an chilling scream. Dully, Fiyero reflects that Elphaba is an extremely good actress, and pulls the lever to open the trapdoor above him. Steam released from the water makes it impossible to see the green woman as she tumbles down into the hidden room, quickly standing and shutting the wooden panel behind her.

After several minutes, the Tin Woodsman and the Lion finish cheering and congratulating themselves, and the three companions' footsteps echo down the stairs and away from the Western Tower. The creak of a closet door sounds from above, and Elphaba buries her head in her hands as they listen to Glinda sobbing. Fiyero wants to feel sorry for the blonde sorceress, but he cannot ignore the strange sense of satisfaction that her pain brings. Maybe now, his own heartbreak is justified. Maybe now, vengeance has been served to her who dared to attract his dear love's attention.

He doesn't even try to comfort Elphaba as she begins the weep quietly.

Months later, the Scarecrow and the Witch, both presumed dead, sit in a small cottage in the farthest reaches of Oz. Both put on a facade of happiness, but Fiyero sees the emotions in the green woman's eyes and knows that they exactly reflect his own. They rarely touch, only speaking when they have to. Fiyero can only wish, looking into the witch's dark eyes, that they are a lighter brown, and that they belong to the beautiful boy that he loved in Shiz.

Elphaba wants to go back to Glinda, that much he knows, and the bigger part of himself wants to let her. Yet the smaller part, the one that hides in the darkest corner of his mind, wants to tell her, smugly, that they must stay in hiding. They might be miserable, yes, but at least Elphaba won't be in love here. At least here she can't show him what he could have shared with the Munchkin. _And after all_, he reasons, _it's only fair_. Glinda wants Elphaba, Fiyero wants Boq, Boq wants Glinda.

If Fiyero can't get what he wants, why should anybody else?

_So...um...yeah. This is quite weird and very confusing. I am willing to answer any questions you might have._

_This is just a look into what Fiyero might have been thinking, I suppose. I really wanted to write it for some reason. I hope you like it, and if you don't, I'm sorry._

_Reviews make my world go round!_


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